Electricity supplies were restored to thousands of customers across the Dartford area overnight as EDF Energy Networks brought in back up generation from across the country.
Generators were brought in from as far afield as Scotland, Bristol and Great Yarmouth as one part of the company’s major operation to respond to serious damage to high voltage electricity cables in the Dartford area.
Generators are now providing back-up power at 38 sites in the area, supplying 11,200 customers, with more due to be connected today. This includes a number of care homes across the Dartford area.
Engineers worked though the night to deploy the generators across the affected area, concentrating on sites with vulnerable customers and areas where generators could provide power to the highest numbers of customers possible.
EDF Energy Networks engineers continue to work on emergency repairs around the clock, following the fire which caused serious damage to high voltage electricity on Monday. The damage resulted in the loss of electricity supplies to thousands of customers across the Dartford, Crayford, Bexleyheath, Erith, and Orpington areas.
We believe it is likely that the fire was started by unauthorised people interfering with the cables. Police are investigating the incident.
This is a significant incident which we are responding to in a number of different ways:
*At the peak of the incident about 92,000 customers were without power supplies. By switching supplies to other circuits on our network we restored power to 31,000 customers on Monday. We returned supply to a further 3,000 customers in this way last night.
*Through rota connections we have been able to restore power on a temporary basis to customers in Crayford, Erith and Bexleyheath for three hours at a time, before switching supply to another area. In total about 45,000 customers will have access to power at some point during the day through this approach, in addition to the 34,000 fully restored.
*Through the use of generators we have provided supplies to 11,200 more, including focussing on vulnerable groups. More generators will be connected today.
*We are working round the clock on a permanent repair to the damaged cables. Our priority is restoring power to all our customers as quickly as is safely possible, and we continue to work on a full restoration of power supplies. Because of the extent of the damage and complexity of the repairs, it is not possible to be completely accurate but EDF Energy Networks hopes that power will be restored to remaining customers, not already back on supply either permanently or temporarily, late this evening.
EDF Energy Networks would like to apologise to all customers affected by this major incident and we thank everyone for their patience while we work to return supplies.
We would like to ask all customers being supplied by generators or on a temporary basis to use electricity for essential purposes only. In this way we can ensure the situation does not become overloaded and as many people as possible have power.
We have also enlisted the support of The British Red Cross who have visited a number of vulnerable customers to offer advice and support.
EDF Energy has brought in extra call centre staff to provide information and advice to customers.
For information on rota connections and on the latest estimates for restoration of supplies, please contact our Emergency Contact Centre on 0800 028 0247 or if you have internet access, www.edfenergy.com sets out when different areas will be provided with temporary supplies through the rota connections plan.